Dr. Ruth M. Bunyan: Trailblazing African American nursing educator

Contributed by The Family Dr. Ruth Vivian Moore Hemphill Bunyan, BSN, MSN, Ed.D., age 92, was born in Hinton, Ky., on April 23, 1931, and died in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Feb. 9, 2024. She was the offspring of Edith Mae Moore and C. Roscoe Moore. She is the younger sister of Morris B. Moore, who preceded her in death. She was the former wife of George H. Hemphill and the Honorable George W. Bunyan, who also preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughter, Lisa E. Hemphill; her stepson, Bruce W. Bunyan; her niece, Diane M. Moore, and many cousins. Dr. Ruth M. Bunyan achieved her college degrees at the University of Cincinnati and Wayne State University. She was a professor emerita of the UC College of Nursing. During her tenure at the College of Nursing, she rose through the ranks from an instructor of medical- surgical nursing to a full professor with added interim experience as a department chair. She retired in Sept. 2001 after 40 years of teaching. Dr. Bunyan was very active in her community by becoming president of her Woodward High School Senior Class, pledging the Omicron Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, serving...